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Different colours from different computers using PS


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Although this is slightly away from image processing, it could certainly apply to it.

 

I do custom mugs for dog people and find that if I print from my desktop, reds are fine, but if I print from my laptop, the reds come out orange.  All other colours seem to be okay. Using the same printer for both.

 

Each computer has the latest version of PS and I have the printing set for PS to do the colours.

 

Anyone else find when printing that different computers using the same printer produce different colours?

 

Jill

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I only print from my desktop so can't say I've come across the problem. Logic tells me that the problem lies within one of the computers as the presumption is that the printer will handle the same data GIVEN the same way and thus output the same way. So if I was having your problem I would approach it like this and doing it when having both computers side-by-side with said image opened on both -  easiest way to spot a difference in settings.

  • Does both computers have the same driver (and is it up to date?) for the printer installed?
  • Is everything within Photoshop that could affect the print, even before you click "Print" the same? 
    • Color Settings --> Working Spaces, Color Management Policies, Conversion Options, Advance Controls etc. - check side by side. 
    • Is both computer's PS working colour space the same?
    • Is the image properly tagged with a colour profile, if not is PS set up to assume or attach the same colour profile?
    • and you are printing directly through PS - not through a plugin (i.e. Canon's Photo Studio)?
  • Hitting "Print"
    • --> "Print Settings" - is everything here the same, under ALL the tabs, such as
      • Media Type (is the correct and perhaps a custom paper profile chosen, especially if using "nice" paper and does it match the actual paper being used?), Additional Features, Print Quality, Color Intensity (Auto or Manual overrides/adjustments)
    • Back out from "Print Settings" and going to "Color Management".
      • Are all the Color Management the same - Color Handling i.e. Printer Manages Color (in my opinion it should be left to the printer, it knows itself the best) or Photoshop Manages Color (if yes to this one, is the same Printer Profile chosen)?
      • Rendering Intent (Relative Colorimetric is my preferred way to go) - same settings on both computers?

So again, if possible do your process with the said image, side-by-side and check/double check everything. Good luck and hopefully you'll find the issue.

 

Bit off-topic. I'm using the Canon Pixma Pro-10 (which is fundamentally the same as the Pro-10s) and always print through Canon's "Print Studio Pro". Not done any colour calibration on actual print, but is blown away with this printer's capability to print/match what you see on the screen. I don't know how they did it, to me it is pure magic and works across my very picky selection of papers - Canon Glossy Photo Paper "Everyday Use" (GP-501) for scrapbook and "normal" photos , Canon Pro Platinum (PT-101) for high-end glossy photo prints and Canson (not Canon) Infinity Platine Fibre Rag for all super high end photo/fine art prints - I can gush about this paper for hours, the texture, the colours in combination with the pigment printer and of course it's longevity which when handled right can be way past the life of even my grand children (and I don't even have any yet!)

 

 

 

 

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The settings are the same on both computers.

 

I am printing on sublimation paper using sublimation ink.  I use the same paper from the same box on both.

 

When I use my inktransfer paper for the heat press, both computers print the reds fine.  This is using pigment ink. It is only when using the sublimation paper and sublimation ink that I seem to have this issue.

 

The reds look fine on the monitor.  I may switch the laptop over to the printer managing colour just to see if it makes any difference.

 

Jill

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4 hours ago, Martin Carlsson said:

 

  • Are all the Color Management the same - Color Handling i.e. Printer Manages Color (in my opinion it should be left to the printer, it knows itself the best)

 

I'm sure most of what you said is very good advice but this is definitely not good general advice in 2018 ( nor would it have been any time since Adobe introduced proper colour management back in the late 90s). The printer is just a machine and has no idea what you want it to do. Colour management is all about consistency. The only time I ever turn off colour management when printing is when I occasionally use Epson's black and white printer driver for mono printing but even then I normally use colour management.

 

As for Jill's problem, if all Photoshop settings are the same, I'm guessing that there must be something in the printer driver on the laptop that is changing things for the sublimation paper and ink but I have no idea what. 

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5 hours ago, MDM said:

 

I'm sure most of what you said is very good advice but this is definitely not good general advice in 2018 ( nor would it have been any time since Adobe introduced proper colour management back in the late 90s). The printer is just a machine and has no idea what you want it to do. Colour management is all about consistency. The only time I ever turn off colour management when printing is when I occasionally use Epson's black and white printer driver for mono printing but even then I normally use colour management.

 

As for Jill's problem, if all Photoshop settings are the same, I'm guessing that there must be something in the printer driver on the laptop that is changing things for the sublimation paper and ink but I have no idea what. 

 

I beg to differ :) The printer with specific driver and associated paper profiles (for that printer and paper combination) will know better than any generic Photoshop printer settings- for example the printer/driver will know better how to accurately sprinkle the ink on paper then PS. This has very little to do with "normal" colour management. Driver and paper profile in combination will send best data to printer for accurate reproduction. All IMHO and after researching it when setting up the last printer (Pixma Pro-10). Of course I could "generally" be wrong - but I'm gobsmacked by the accuracy I get - I use colour managed camera and screens, but not printer. So I stick by my logic - driver update or difference in settings between the two computers - the only reason for printer to print differently from the two computers are that there is a difference in the data/instructions it is given.

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13 minutes ago, Martin Carlsson said:

 

I beg to differ :) The printer with specific driver and associated paper profiles (for that printer and paper combination) will know better than any generic Photoshop printer settings- for example the printer/driver will know better how to accurately sprinkle the ink on paper then PS. This has very little to do with "normal" colour management. Driver and paper profile in combination will send best data to printer for accurate reproduction. All IMHO and after researching it when setting up the last printer (Pixma Pro-10). Of course I could "generally" be wrong - but I'm gobsmacked by the accuracy I get - I use colour managed camera and screens, but not printer. So I stick by my logic - driver update or difference in settings between the two computers - the only reason for printer to print differently from the two computers are that there is a difference in the data/instructions it is given.

 

We are probably at cross purposes here and probably not going to get anywhere fast in continuing this discussion as we are using different printers and maybe different operating systems - I use an Epson printer with a Mac. I have a Colour Munki Photo which I use to get specific profiles for my workflow and using full color management is my preferred option (nowadays in Lightroom which is better than Photoshop for printing). I am too busy right now to test out any other options so will have to leave it there - each to his own as they say :).

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Absolutely - I don't even print from PS or LR normally but through Canon Print Studio Pro.

 

For reference, from Lumionous Landscape Dec 2015

 

"In a colour-managed workflow, something somewhere has to convert colours from the image's colour space to the printer's colour space.  That's done using the profile of the image colour space, and the profile for the printer/paper combination's colour space.  

 

Generally there are two choices:


The printer driver does it.  (The option "printer manages colour" really means "printer driver manages colour")
The application (e.g. Photoshop) does it.

 

Either works OK; you just need to make sure one but not both do it."

 

 

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The recommendation when printing sublimation is to turn off printer managing colour and leave it to PS.

 

I may reinstall the driver on the laptop. Nothing to lose there. It is an old laptop but is running Windows 10.

 

I guess a little experimentation is all I can do.

 

Jill

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  • 2 weeks later...

Are you printing exactly the same file from the laptop and desktops? Or are you producing different files on the machines that turn out slightly different? I'm trying to see where there may be a difference in your workflow.

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4 hours ago, Stephen Lloyd said:

Are you printing exactly the same file from the laptop and desktops? Or are you producing different files on the machines that turn out slightly different? I'm trying to see where there may be a difference in your workflow.

 

It does happen when printing the same file, but when I use the laptop, I am mostly doing live custom printing at a dog show, so each file is unique. I haven't done any using the laptop since original post, so haven't had a chance to change anything.  Too busy to work on it right now.  Any thoughts would be great.  I certainly don't want to have to haul my desktop to shows.

 

Jill

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